Your reputation doesn’t fail you—your business is reliable, trustworthy and honest. Though, you have one challenge, and with the constantly evolving world of digital media, it could soon turn into a major problem: your brand presence online is minimal, and what you do have online does not reflect the business that is offline.

That’s exactly why we developed this blog resource—to help you build a strong brand presence online so you can quickly bring your offline presence into the digital sphere.

Here are 6 keys to a strong brand presence online.

1. Strong website. A strong website can go a long way in showing the world your organization is credible and trustworthy—someone to do business with. Studies have shown that thorough contact information, team information with bios, and client lists with testimonials, among other elements, can strengthen your site and enhance your organization’s credibility. Your website’s About page should go beyond the standard boilerplate to one that truly tells your story. Case studies or white papers can position your firm as experts within your industry and build confidence in potential future relationships.

A great example of using a website to build trust and enhance reputation is our work with Onex, the largest private equity firm in Canada. In a complete redesign of their site, we illustrated their main messages with large photos on the landing page. We used the About page to fill in details with graphics “By the Numbers.” We also developed an extensive team page filtered by business segment. In the business section we showcased case studies of successful investments with links to the team involved. Clear navigation also adds to the site.

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2. Strong social media presence. If you have potential investors, customers or clients engaging with your brand on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, are you listening? The answer should always be yes! Social media is an integral part of your online presence—it can build customer loyalty through your responsiveness to customer needs. It’s important to have eyes on your social channels throughout the day; perhaps an employee, a contractor or agency can engage on behalf of your brand. Whatever the process might be, make sure your channels are active.

3. Consistent unique value proposition. If your social media accounts have one unique selling proposition (USP) or explanation of your business, and your website is telling a different story, visitors can be confused. For your brand presence online to be meaningful, identify your USP and clearly articulate it, offering clients something that the competition can’t or won’t offer. This is the foundation of building a brand story that represents who you are and how you do business.

4. Consistent branding. Much like telling your story through your USP is important (see #3), ensuring consistent branding across your digital properties is essential. This can be as simple as having the same logo on your website as your social profiles as your latest newsletter sponsorship and so on and so forth… Imagine yourself in your customers’ shoes; if they arrive on your website and your brand colors are different from what they have seen on other digital properties, they might wonder if they are on the correct site. Perform an audit to ensure you have the same branding across all online channels.

5. A regular blog. Producing and distributing quality content in the form of a blog can not only increase your visibility online, it will also help position you as a leader in your industry and a go-to resource for your customers. Blogging can help increase your search engine rank, which will help attract new visitors and increase your overall reach. Make sure your blogs offer useful, interesting and timely information with helpful links.

6. Search Engine Optimization. Once you’ve built a website you love, your branding is consistent across channels and you’ve launched your blog, it’s time for SEO: Search Engine Optimization. SEO is about building your website in such a way that visitors find you through strategically selected keywords. You can integrate such keywords into various areas of your website, such as through your service pages or your blog. There is plenty more about SEO that you should know, but be aware of its importance.

A strong brand presence online is essential to building your business’ online reputation and attracting customers. By working through these six keys, you can work to develop a strong brand presence online that you and your team will be proud of.

A great example of using a website to build trust and enhance reputation is our work with Onex, the largest private equity firm in Canada. In a complete redesign of their site, we illustrated their main messages with large photos on the landing page. We used the About page to fill in details with graphics “By the Numbers.” We also developed an extensive team page filtered by business segment. In the business section we showcased case studies of successful investments with links to the team involved. Clear navigation also adds to the site.